“What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You can’t reread a phone call.” ― Liz Carpenter

Hi, my name is Dhanveer, but my family and friends call me “Dhani.” I have been writing letters since I was in fourth grade, and it all started when I was attending boarding school. Back then, we were allowed to write one letter a month to our parents, and I would always write to my mom. It didn’t matter if I was happy or sad, I would tell her everything that was going on in my life.

One month, I was feeling homesick, and I wrote a letter to my mom expressing how much I missed her and how much I wanted to come back home. Unfortunately, my mom became sick after reading the letter. I quickly wrote another letter filled with jokes and different colored pens to cheer her up. My mom loved the letter so much that she wanted to frame it. Years later, I realized that she kept it as a reminder of the true emotions that were hidden behind the jokes.

Although my mom has passed away, I still cherish the letters she wrote to me. They serve as a reminder of her teachings and her love. I believe that my children will also be able to know their grandmother through her words.

One of the other incidents that inspired me to keep writing after coming back home was one day, while cleaning my dad’s bookshelf, I found a letter written by my aunt to my grandfather after her marriage. The letter was beautiful and full of love, and it conveyed a message of well- being. Reading it helped me understand my family dynamics and what it meant to be part of a large, loving family.

I believe that writing letters is a powerful way to spread love and compassion in the world. Letters can keep love alive, bring joy and hope to those with lost hopes, and serve as a source of happiness for many people.

“Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind them.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe